Leeds LGBTQ+ housing initiative crowned winner of social innovation prize
Clarion Housing Group has revealed the winners of the fourth William Sutton Prize at an awards ceremony.
Out of six projects which were shortlisted, Pride of Place Living won the The William Sutton Prize for Social Innovation for their proposal for a scheme that will provide multigenerational, lifelong and inclusive living for LGBTQ+ people in Leeds.
Pride of Place Living will provide a safe and supportive living environment for its residents, who are are disproportionately affected by homelessness and social isolation.
The winner will receive a £20,000 prize which will be used to further develop the concept with the support of finance and design experts, as well as running workshops to engage with and secure the support of the LGBTQ+ community in Leeds.
An additional £5,000 prize was awarded to the highly commended runner up – a proposal by PhD candidate Hannah Absalom from the University of Birmingham to develop a model that utilises psychological insights to support the allocation process for social housing providers. The aim is to ‘put the heart back into allocations’, building relationships with new tenants and staff that result in sustainable tenancies and designing impact measures and training to scale the approach.
Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, said: ‘Our winners are inspiring and innovative projects that have the potential to change lives, and that’s what the Prize is all about.’
Jane Stageman, Chair of Pride of Place Living, added: ‘We were inspired to enter The William Sutton Prize because Pride of Place Living tackles some of the key issues affecting society today and offers a real opportunity to make a difference to the LGBTQ+ community in Leeds. It seemed an ideal match and winning the Prize will enable us to progress our project to the next stage, turning a concept into what we believe will be the UK’s first multigenerational LGBTQ+ housing community.’
Now in its fourth year, The William Sutton Prize was developed by Clarion Housing Group to celebrate the legacy of its founder, William Sutton, as a 19th century innovator and philanthropist who bequeathed his fortune to improve the quality of social housing.
It encourages individuals and organisations to present a new concept, service or idea that will benefit social housing residents and communities, with a prize fund on offer to help develop the idea and maximise its impact.
In related news, people without jobs or with less secure housing have poorer outcomes when treated for depression with talking therapy or antidepressants, compared to more socially advantaged peers, according to a new study.
Photo supplied by Clarion Housing Group